Harvard Kids Get Just As Many A’s As You Thought

The most common grade at Harvard is an A and the median grade is an A-, a university official said Tuesday, igniting new concerns about grade inflation at prestigious schools.

Jay M. Harris, the dean of undergraduate education, revealed the common grades in response to a question at a monthly faculty meeting, the student newspaper the Harvard Crimson reports.

“The median grade in Harvard College is indeed an A-,” Harris said. “The most frequently awarded grade in Harvard College is actually a straight A.”

This isn’t the first discussion of grade inflation at Harvard. In 2002, Harvard restructured its grading practices after the Boston Globe called the school the “laughing stock of the Ivy League,” moving to a traditional 4.o grading system and restricting honors diplomas to 60 percent of the class, down from 91 percent in 2001.